1. Field
The present invention relates to thin compact absorbent incontinence pads and more particularly to absorbent incontinence pads to be applied onto the crotch region of a user for dealing with his or her light incontinence. The term xe2x80x9cincontinence padsxe2x80x9d is herein used to collectively refer to absorbent articles for incontinence uses and includes all articles generally called absorbent sheets, absorbent liners or absorbent cards. Also, for the sake of simplicity in designing articles according the amounts of urination, the term xe2x80x9clight incontinencexe2x80x9d is herein used generally as a term referring to 250 cc or less as the amount of urination, as opposed to the term xe2x80x9cserious incontinence,xe2x80x9d which generally refers to greater amounts of urination.
2. Related Art
In recent years, sanitary goods designed to address adult light incontinence have drawn much market attention, and many companies have actively joined the competition of developing such goods. Symptoms of light incontinence are more often observed with females: the degree of incontinence varies from extremely light (15 cc or less) to medium light (approximately 200 cc), and the age group of those suffering from such symptoms varies widely from the 20""s to the 50""s. Until now, there have been very few goods designed specifically to deal with adult light incontinence symptoms, and other articles, such as sanitary napkins and panty shields have been used as substitutes.
Articles such as sanitary napkins and panty shields, which were originally designed to deal with menstrual blood, cause many problems when they are used to address urinary incontinence. Articles designed and manufactured to address light urinary incontinence using wood pulp as the absorbent member have also been found to cause many problems.
One problem that articles currently used to treat adult light incontinence have is with leakage and discomfort, typically manifested as a sticky feeling, because they provide insufficient absorbance and performance. One cause of these and other problems is that in baby diapers and adult incontinence diapers one critically important feature is the ability to rapidly absorb large amounts of liquid exudates discharged at one time. This is known as the acquisition effect. In contrast, articles designed for light incontinence symptoms, must be able to efficiently and effectively handle liquid exudates which are usually discharged in small amounts and at more frequent intervals. Adult light incontinence articles which are designed based on baby diapers and adult incontinence diaperstypically use wood pulp fluff as their main component. When used to address adult light incontinence, the wood pulp fluff remains wetted on the surface, causing the skin of the wearer, which is in contact with the absorbent member, to erupt in a rash or become inflamed.
In order to solve such problems, it is preferred to design an adult light incontinence article which takes advantage of the performance of super absorbent polymers (SAP), which are excellent at gelatinizing liquid exudates. It is further preferred that such absorbent member has a high content of SAP, preferably nearly 100% content of SAP.
Another second problem with current absorbent articles is that the absorbent member remains wetted during use. To address this issue, it is critically important to create an absorbent member with an air permeable structure so that it remains breathable during use and does not become uncomfortably stuffy. In order to achieve such a structure, not only must the components such as the topsheet (surface sheet) and backsheet be air permeable, but the absorbent member itself musthave an air permeable structure.
A third problem that must be addressed by an adult light incontinence article is that those who suffer from light incontinence symptoms typically experience such symptoms unpredictably, instantaneously and at times of temporary physical tension or high stress. For example, light incontinence often results from changes in abdominal pressure caused by normal pregnancy, or by sneezing, sudden laughter, or physical exertion such as jumping. In other words, such symptoms are very often observed with those females who live normal and healthy life. It is therefore a very important that an incontinence article can be worn as inconspicuously as possible and has a very thin and compact form so that it additional or spare articles can be carried in a handbag or pocket.
A fourth problem that must be addressed by an incontinence article is that users come in a great variety of shapes and sizes. An absorbent article must have three-dimensional adaptability which can accommodate any difference in shape of the body region of a wearer on which it is applied.
The object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent incontinence pad satisfying all of the above-mentioned requirements.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an absorbent incontinence pad comprising:
an absorbent unit comprising a non-woven fabric substrate, an absorbent zone consisting of a plurality of highly absorbent layer elements extending in the form of bands on the surface of the non-woven fabric substrate, and an air permeable zone abutting the non-woven fabric substrate formed in the area where the highly absorbent layers are not formed;
a back sheet wrapping the absorbent unit leaving part of a surface of the absorbent unit uncovered; and
an acquisition layer disposed on the surface of the absorbent unit covering at least part of the uncovered surface thereof.
Furthermore, the absorbent unit may be wrapped with a dispersion layer. In this case, it is preferable that an acquisition layer be disposed on the dispersion layer, covering at least part of the uncovered surface of the absorbent unit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an absorbent incontinence pad comprising a topsheet consisting of a liquid pervious and air permeable sheet material and a liquid impervious and air permeable backsheet and an absorbent unit disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet. In this aspect of the invention, the absorbent unit is comprised of a non-woven fabric substrate, an absorbent zone formed by a plurality of highly absorbent layers extending in bands on the surface of the non-woven fabric substrate and an absorbent sheet having an air permeable zone in which no such highly absorbent layers exist.
The topsheet and backsheet can be bonded to each other around their perimeter so that a space is formed between the two sheets, and the absorbent unit can be located within this space.
The absorbent unit can be formed of a first absorbent sheet and a second absorbent sheet being folded on each other. In this structure, the first absorbent sheet may be made with highly absorbent layers in several absorbent zones. The second absorbent sheet may be constructed to have one or more highly absorbent layers in positions corresponding to one or all of the absorbent zones of the first absorbent layer.
In one embodiment, the absorbent unit has two absorbent zones. The first absorbent zone may be located in the central region of the first absorbent sheet, and the second absorbent zone being located in the laterally outboard regions of the first absorbent sheet. In such a configuration, it is preferable for the ratio of the width of the first absorbent zone (Aw) to the width of the second absorbent zone (Bw) (Aw:Bw) to be between 1:0.3 to 2.
It is preferred that the highly absorbent layer be made mostly from a super absorbent polymer. It is also preferred that the highly absorbent layer be divided into a plurality of sections or bands.
In addition, the non-woven fabric substrate of the absorbent sheet may be bonded to other elements of the absorbent incontinence pad in the air permeable zone. For example, the non-woven fabric substrate may be bonded to the topsheet, the backsheet, a dispersion sheet or other layers of absorbent sheets. Such bonding can be done by any number of appropriate means, such as adhesive bonding and heat seal bonding.
In addition, the topsheet, the backsheet, the absorbent unit and their component elements can be made of degradable materials.
One benefit of an absorbent incontinence pad manufactured according to the present invention is that it provides good air permeability through the pad, and provides extremely high absorbency. Such a pad provides very comfortable use, and prevents the humidity and body temperature of the user from rising when worn.
Another benefit of an absorbent incontinence pad manufactured according to the present invention is that the components, such as the top sheet, back sheet, absorbent unit, can be made of degradable material. Such a pad can be disposed of in a toilet without clogging the toilet system. Such a pad can also be disposed of by biodegradation or other types of degradation without causing a severe environmental impact.